New Year's Resolution
by Dragonflys-Girl
Summary: New Year's Resolution for Gibbs and Kate


Title: New Year's Resolution  
  
Author: Claudie  
  
Rating: PG - 13 probably  
  
Genre: G/K - R  
  
Feedback: PLEASE!  
  
Archive: They are (or at least they should be) up at my own archive site ... or . Feel free to link to it. If you'd rather archive it your way, please let me know where.  
  
Disclaimer: Characters from the NCIS do not belong to me. They are properties of Belisarius Productions, Paramount Network Television, DPB and CBS. But sometimes I do wish they were mine! I don't make money off it. so, please. don't sue me.  
  
Have a wonderful New Year's Eve and happy 2004, everyone!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Gibbs, I'd like to head out now if that's okay with you," Tony says after checking his clock for the 5th time in 20 minutes.  
  
"What time is it, Dinozzo?" Gibbs asks without looking up from whatever he's working on at the moment.  
  
"It's close to 4." Kate smirks at Tony's response. The clock in the right- hand bottom of her desktop's screen flashes 3:43 pm.  
  
"Still quite a while until the end of the work day, don't you think, Kate?" responds the senior agent, surprisingly, in a voice void of any annoyance expected. Rolling her eyes, Kate chooses not to respond.  
  
"Come on, Gibbs. It's New Year's Eve today!" Tony protests all the while shooting Kate pleading looks.  
  
Shaking her head, Kate complies with Tony's unspoken request, "Gibbs, just let him go. It's not like he'll be getting anything done here anyway, and he'll just be constantly bothering us so we can't get anything done as well!"  
  
Fighting to maintain a stern face, Gibbs looks directly at Tony, "Yea, okay, Tony, if you're going to be a pain for the rest of the afternoon, please leave now before I shoot you."  
  
Kate watches in amusement when Tony's face lit up at Gibbs' permission and takes off, "Thank you, Gibbs. Have a happy new year, you two.  
  
"What, no thanks to me?" she yells after him, feigning hurt. "You wouldn't be leaving if it weren't for me!"  
  
"Hey, that's what sisters do for brothers, right?" Tony smiles broadly at her. "Anyway, I'm off now! See you guys Friday!"  
  
"You better be ready to work extra on Friday," Gibbs warns when Tony is making his way out of the office, which almost causes the younger agent to stumble. "Don't get into any trouble."  
  
When Tony is gone, Gibbs turns to Kate, who seems to be reading a file he remembers from before she joined, "You know, Kate, if you want, you can leave as well. It is, after all, New Year's Eve."  
  
Kate smiles at the offer, "You were just antagonizing Tony, weren't you?"  
  
"Who am I to miss out the fun, especially with such easy target?" Gibbs smiles broadly. "Now, why don't you head out and have fun?"  
  
"Have you got any plans tonight?" Kate asks when she, too, starts packing her things, including some case files, into her bag.  
  
"Why are you taking those with you, Kate?" Gibbs ignores her question and raises an eyebrow at the stack she's put into her backpack.  
  
Kate shrugs lightly, "I have nothing to do anyway, so might as well do some reading."  
  
"You're telling me you'll spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day reading and working?"  
  
"Not technically. Maybe I'll cook and relax for tonight, but yea, I'll probably start on these tomorrow. You don' have a problem with that, do you?"  
  
"Don't you have any plans for yourself?"  
  
The female agent simply shakes her head. "My family's all living in the West Coast. I always say I'd fly out and be with them, but I never do. I'm used to being by myself, I guess. You kinda need to when you work as a special agent," she zips up her bag and shrugs into her jacket.  
  
"Yea," Gibbs smiles sadly. "I'm a man with 3 divorces, don't you remember?"  
  
"Sometimes I just want to be a normal person. I want to have my own family, and want to spend New Year's Eve with someone special, with someone I care about, not just by myself. A new year is supposed to mean a new opening, but being alone just takes away from that," she sighs, a faraway look on her face.  
  
Gibbs seems to be stunt at Kate's revelation. If he allows himself to dwell on his feelings, he knows he will wish for the same thing, with the same longing of company, and the same wish to share New Year's Eve with someone special, but he won't allow himself the luxury of wishing, and he won't let his guard down and let Kate know she's not the only one.  
  
"Would you like to join me for dinner tonight?" Kate continues, almost shyly, still deep in her thought, "I mean, if you have nothing to do, you can stop by and ." Snapping out of her thought, Kate flushes when she realizes what she's just said, "you know what, I'll shut up now. I'll just shut up and go home. Have a happy new year, Gibbs."  
  
Gibbs stands beside his desk, shocked, and watches when Kate takes off. He doesn't know if he should read into what Kate said just now, but judging from her reaction, he probably should - which is fine with him because he isn't about to deny the fact that he would like to welcome a new year with Kate by his side. Too bad she took off before he could give an answer.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kate sighs when she switches off the TV in her living room. She really hates spending New Year's Eve alone. Now that she is again by herself in her apartment, she gathers her book and her blanket and gets herself comfortable on the couch and prepares to read the night away.  
  
When she just starts to get into the book, someone is knocking at her door. Puzzled, Kate throws the blanket off and opens the door, ready to scare away whoever it is at her door.  
  
And she freezes in place. Gibbs is standing outside her door with a bottle of wine in his hand, "Good evening Kate. I'm not too late for the dinner you mentioned earlier, am I?"  
  
Snapping back to attention, Kate moves aside to let Gibbs into her apartment, "Uh, let me take your coat." Taking a hanger from her foyer closet, Kate put Gibbs' coat away, all the while avoiding eye contact.  
  
"Was I interrupting anything?" he asks when he follows her into the living room.  
  
"No, no, no," she shakes her head negative quickly, "you're not. I . I just wasn't expecting you."  
  
"You invited me though," Gibbs sounds amused.  
  
"Yea," she is fidgeting. "I didn't think you would come. I just thought I would spend my night reading and stuff."  
  
"Maybe I should leave then?" he asks, but he can hear a voice inside his head that screams 'No.'.  
  
"No," she shakes her head again, then turns frantic. "Oh my God, I haven't even cooked yet. I thought it was only myself tonight, so I would just grab something to eat whenever. I'll go get the food now. Make yourself at home." She rushes into the kitchen, and Gibbs can hear the banging of cupboard doors within seconds.  
  
Looking around the room, he finds himself in a neatly organized living room designed in a pastel blue and white. The pictures on the shelf in the corner of the room feature a young boy and girl smiling brightly at the camera. He lingers to look at Kate's book collection, and then return to the couch.  
  
When Gibbs finds himself with nothing better to do, he moves toward the kitchen, "Is there anything I can do?"  
  
Kate barely looks up from her cooking, "You're the guest tonight, Gibbs. I'm embarrassed enough to have you wait so long for dinner, so please, make yourself at home and dinner will be ready soon."  
  
"You know I don't mind," he says, moving around the kitchen to see what Kate's doing, "Ahh, chicken. Come on, just tell me what you need done."  
  
Looking up at Gibbs, and seeing that he is not serious, she nods and asks Gibbs to take care of the spaghetti for her. Quietly, the two works together, neither of them speaks. It suddenly strikes Kate how domestic they look, working together in the kitchen preparing a meal. Her heart skips a beat and she blushes a little before she returns to preparing the chicken.  
  
Gibbs harbours the same feelings at the same time. He likes cooking, but he's also hesitant in revealing this talent of his. With Kate by his side, though, he feels like he's finally found someone he's comfortable with showing this part of him.  
  
'Maybe she really is the one for you,' the thought creeps into his head.  
  
Shaking his head slightly, Gibbs tells himself that he's moving too fast and ahead of himself. He doesn't really know Caitlin Todd outside the office, and that would be a very important thing.  
  
With their combined effort, dinner is ready in record's time, and they eat in companionable silence, neither feeling the need to talk. Gibbs beams smugly at his discovery of Kate, whose cheeks seem to be turning redder by the minute, looking at him during the meal but quickly looks elsewhere when she feels his eyes on her.  
  
"I'll clean up," she offers when they are both finished. "Why don't you go relax, and I'll be out in a second?"  
  
"No," he insists and starts cleaning out the table with her. "I ate, and so I'll help clean up."  
  
Knowing that he will not change his mind, Kate allows him to help her again in the kitchen. When all the dishes are taken care of, they move back to the couch with the wine in their hands to watch the count down on television.  
  
"Thank you for coming. I'm glad you're here," Kate breaks the silence.  
  
"I guess what you said in the office today made me realize that I want to spend New Year's Eve with someone special as well.  
  
She looks up at him, surprised, "And you've decided to be here with me?"  
  
"Yup," he gives a nod, and sighs. "Look, Kate, I know what I said, and I still believe that since the two of us are both agents, it won't be easy, and I don't really know how you feel about me personally, but, I think."  
  
"I'd like to get to know you more," she softly cuts him off and looks away, "if you don't mind, that is."  
  
"Actually, that sounds good," he offers softly. Gibbs puts his glass on the coffee table when he shifts so he's closer to her. Leaning closer, he gently takes the glass from her hand and sets it on the coffee table as well. "I'd like to know more about you."  
  
"And we'll keep an open mind about this and explore whatever there is to explore?" she asks, finally allowing herself to look into his blue eyes.  
  
"Yes," he confirms as she settles herself in his arms. He sighs and rests his chin on her head.  
  
The crowd in the television cheers loudly when the master of ceremony announces they are going into the last 10 seconds of 2003. Big numbers flashes on the screen as each second goes by.  
  
Ten.  
  
Gibbs turns slightly on the couch so that Kate is resting her head on his shoulder, his hand on her shoulder.  
  
Nine.  
  
Kate takes the remote to mute the television and turn on the stereo. The music of Auld Lang Syne flows into the room.  
  
Eight.  
  
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?  
  
Seven.  
  
Kate takes Gibbs' free hand in hers and plays with his finger. "You have long fingers, you know," she murmurs, and Gibbs smiles at that.  
  
Six.  
  
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
  
And days of auld lang syne?  
  
Five.  
  
Gibbs takes the hand away and tucks her hair behind her ear, "I like to see your smile." And she smiles brighter at that comment.  
  
Four.  
  
And days of auld lang syne, my dear,  
  
And days of auld lang syne.  
  
Three.  
  
"And you should smile more," she responds. "You don't do that enough. I like to see your smile too." "You do, huh?" he grins.  
  
Two.  
  
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
  
And days of auld lang syne?  
  
One.  
  
The crowd goes wild. A big "Happy 2004" in red bold letters flashes on the television screen.  
  
"Happy New Year, Kate," he turns to look at her.  
  
"Happy New Year," she returns.  
  
"I seem to recall a tradition that should take place," Gibbs says, his eyes twinkle.  
  
"Do you?" she teases back, her eyes darting back and forth between his eyes and his lips.  
  
He leans in, until their lips almost touching each other's, their breath tickles each others' face, "Yes." Gently, he presses his lips against her. 


End file.
